Panic Attack
by afitwilight
Summary: Response to challenge of making Nick the bad guy. Nick and Sara get into an agruement which causes Sara to have a break down. N/S


Title: Panic Attack  
  
Spoilers: anywhere from season 1 to 3  
  
Warning: Not a friendly Nick story. There is angst and some language.   
  
Response to Emily's Nick being evil challenge! Hope you enjoy. Feedback is always appreciated. By the way, it was hard making Nick the bad guy.  
  
* * * *   
  
Sara walked into the locker room and gathered her stuff after a long exhausting shift. She had to pull a double so she was running on lack of sleep and lack of food. She couldn't remember the last thing she ate. 'Oh well, hopefully Nick went to the store.' She thought to herself. She and Nick had been dating for two months and they usually spend all their free time together. She couldn't have been happier.  
  
She walked out of the room and met up with Warrick. He smiled. "Ready to go home?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, I can't wait."  
  
He laughed. "I guess not." They walked to their separate cars and drove home. Twenty minutes later, Sara pulled up to her apartment and got out. She noticed Nick's Tahoe in the driveway. Smiling to herself, she grabbed her keys and headed for the door. She opened it and called out. "Nick, I'm home." She received no answer. "Nick?"  
  
She thought she heard noises in her bedroom, so she made her way there. She opened the door and froze at the scene before her. Nick was in her bed having sex with another woman. She couldn't breathe. It was as if all the air had been taken out of the room. Finally she came to her senses. "Nick, what the hell do you think you're doing?" She yelled unable to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks.   
  
Nick, who hadn't noticed her standing there, looked up as soon as he heard her voice. "What does it look like I'm doing?"  
  
"Get out of my apartment now." She stated with as much hatred as she could. "And take her with you." She pointed at the woman, who was now putting on some clothes.  
  
Nick got up off the bed and glared at Sara. "What's the matter Sara? Did you actually think I could stay a one woman man?"  
  
Sara felt the hot salty tears travel down faster. "I hate you. I hate you so much! You know maybe you and Hank should start a club or something. You know bring in hookers since you seem to like them so much."  
  
She never even saw it coming. Nick's hand went flying and slapped her hard across the face. She reached her hand to touch it and could feel blood coming from her nose. "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I KICK YOUR SORRY ASS OUT!" She shouted.  
  
Nick just laughed and put his arm around the woman he was sleeping with. They walked out of the apartment slamming Sara's door behind them. She couldn't take it anymore, she against the wall and slid down to the floor. She began sobbing so hard that she was having trouble breathing. She realized that she was having some kind of panic attack and that she needed help. She got up and grabbed the phone. Her hands were shaking so bad, that she had trouble dialing the number. 'Please answer.' She cried.   
  
"Hello."  
  
"Warrick."   
  
"Sara? Is that you?"  
  
Her breathing became shallower. "I....need......your.....help."  
  
"Sara, what's wrong?" She could hear the worry in his voice. She tried to answer but she couldn't. The last thing she heard was Warrick saying he would be there soon.  
  
Warrick arrived at Sara's apartment and knocked on the door. She didn't answer, so he tried to open it. It was unlocked. "Sara?" He called out, but didn't get a response. He quickly searched for her and found her curled up against the wall. He was by her side in a minute. "Sara, honey, can you hear me?" He put his arm around her shoulder.   
  
She couldn't breathe. She felt like she was going to die any minute. She was barely aware of Warrick's presence. "Sara, you need to breathe sweetie. Take a deep breath."  
  
She heard his words and she tried very hard. After five minutes of his coaching, her breathing returned to normal. He still had his arm around her and he was using his other hand to wipe the stray hairs that were on her face. Her forehead was soaked with sweat. He had no clue what happened but he was going to find out. "Can you stand up?"  
  
She nodded and with his help, she got up. He walked her toward her bed when she gripped his arm. "NO. Can we go sit in the living room?"  
  
"Sure." He led her in the room and sat her down on the couch. "I think I should take you to the hospital to make sure you're okay."  
  
"I'm fine. I just needed to calm down."  
  
"Sara, you're not fine. In fact, you're pretty damn far from fine." He hated how stubborn she could be.   
  
"It's nothing. Really." She lied hoping he would believe her. The look in his eyes told her the exact opposite.  
  
"Don't lie to me. You wouldn't have called if it wasn't important and trust me, your attack was important."  
  
"I haven't ate or drank anything in twenty four hours. I think I got dizzy."  
  
Warrick took her hand. "Come on. I'm driving you to the E.R."  
  
Sara shook her head. "No, please don't."  
  
He pulled her up off the couch. "I'm taking you or I'm calling Nick and having him come and take you."  
  
The mention of Nick's name snapped Sara's head up. "Not Nick. Please, don't call him."  
  
Now he knew something was wrong. He knew about Sara and Nick's relationship. He was beginning to wonder if they had a fight and that's why Sara had the attack. He also noticed that she had some blood on her lip. "Do you get bloody noses?" He asked her.  
  
"No, why?"   
  
"You're nose was bleeding. Care to explain?"  
  
"Not really." She answered.  
  
"Fine." He put his arm around her shoulder and took her to his vehicle. He made sure she was buckled in and then got in the driver's side. They drove for a few minutes in silence. Warrick stole a quick glance at her and noticed she was crying. "All right, tell me what's wrong and don't lie to me."  
  
"I can't." She cried.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because its too painful not to mention personal." She stated.  
  
"Look Sara, I'm your friend and I care about you. So when you're hurting I think I should know about it." They arrived at the hospital and Warrick quickly found a place to park. "Come on."  
  
They got out of the car and Warrick held Sara's hand going in. He wasn't sure if he was holding her hand because he was afraid she would try and run, or if it was something else. They talked to the nurse at the desk and Warrick explained to her about Sara's attack. She told them to take a seat and the doctor would be with them shortly. They found two chairs near the wall and sat down. Warrick continued to hold her hand. He was surprised that she didn't try and get lose. He looked at her. "Please tell me what happened." He said with a great deal of concern.  
  
"I came home and found Nick sleeping with another woman in my bed. We got into an argument and he slapped me and then left." She said with little emotion. It was like she was reading a script from a horrible play.   
  
Warrick was angry. No wait, angry wasn't quite was he was feeling. Pissed off was more like it. He wanted nothing more than to go and kick Nick's ass. "I'm sorry Sara."  
  
"Don't be, it's not your fault I always end up with men that cheat on me." She looked into Warrick's eyes. "I really thought Nick loved me. I guess I was stupid to believe that me Sara Sidle could be loved by anyone."  
  
Warrick cupped her cheek. "You're not stupid. You deserve to have someone love you. As far as those other guys. Hank's an asshole and well, Nick might be my best friend, but he's not gonna get away with this."  
  
"Warrick, don't. I don't want to be the reason you're not friends anymore."  
  
"How can you say that? I'm not going to be able to look at Nick the same way again. In fact, he's going to be lucky that I even talk to him at all."  
  
Before Sara could comment, she heard her name called. "I'll be back." She told him.  
  
"I'll be waiting."  
  
She smiled at him. It was the first smile she had since the fight. "Promise?"  
  
"I promise." She grinned and headed toward the doctor. Warrick waited until she left and he pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Catherine's number. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Catherine. Are you busy?"  
  
"I was just watching t.v. with Lindsey, why?"  
  
"I need you to come down to the hospital."  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"Yeah, but not with me. It's Sara."  
  
"Sara, what happened to her?"  
  
He took a deep breath. "It's a long story. She had a panic attack and I brought her here to get checked out."  
  
"Okay, I'll be right there." Warrick hung up the phone and leaned his head against the wall. He started thinking just how much he would love to get Nick back for hurting Sara.   
  
Ten minutes later, Catherine and Lindsey walked in the E.R. waiting room. Lindsey spotted him first. "Uncle Warrick." She called and ran to him. He gave her a hug and then focused on Catherine.  
  
"Glad you could make it."  
  
"Is Sara okay?" Lindsey asked not knowing why Sara was there.  
  
"She had trouble breathing and I brought her in." Warrick told her. He really needed to talk to Catherine alone about what was going on, so he dug in his pocket and pulled out some money. "Hey Linds. I'm pretty hungry. Do you think you could go and get me a snack for the vending machine?"  
  
"Sure." She said and took the money from him. "What do you want?"  
  
"Just get me a candy bar. Oh and get you something too."  
  
"Thanks!" She waltzed down the hallway leaving the two adults.   
  
Catherine turned to face Warrick. "So, you want to tell me what's going on?"  
  
Warrick took a deep breath and told her everything. Catherine's face was crimson. "Nick, our Nick did this?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"I'm going to kill him!"  
  
"Not if I get to him first." Warrick told her. Catherine took a seat next to Warrick and leaned her head back.   
  
"I can't believe this. What possessed him to do such a thing?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm sure he doesn't care about it." Warrick was about to say more but Lindsey came up with two candy bars.   
  
"I wasn't sure which one you liked, so you can pick one out." She showed him the two bars and he reached for the Twix bar.   
  
"Thanks Linds."  
  
"You're welcome." She sat down next to her mother and began eating her candy. A few minutes later the doctor came out and walked to them.   
  
"Are you friends of Sara Sidle?" He asked.  
  
Warrick stood up. "Yes, we are. How is she?"  
  
"She's a bit dehydrated and her breathing is somewhat shallow. I want to keep her here over night just to make sure."  
  
"Can we see her?" Warrick asked very concerned now that she was going to have to stay overnight.  
  
"As soon as she gets settled in her room you can."  
  
"Thank you doctor." Catherine said and watched as the doctor walked off. She sat back down in the chair. She took a deep breath. "I guess we're going to have to call Grissom and let him know what's going on."  
  
"He's not going to be happy about this." Warrick said and sat down as well.   
  
Catherine decided that she should be the one to call Grissom. She pulled out her cell and dialed the familiar number. He answered on the second ring. "Grissom."  
  
"Hey, it's me." She said trying not to sound to upset. She wasn't pulling it off.  
  
"What's wrong? Is Lindsey okay?"  
  
She smiled to herself thinking how sweet it was of Grissom to be concerned about her and Lindsey. "Lindsey's fine. I'm fine. It's." She paused for a moment. "It's Sara."  
  
"What about Sara?"  
  
"She's in the hospital."  
  
"What happened?" From his tone, Catherine knew that Grissom was on his way.   
  
"I'll explain when you get here." She told him and then hung up. She glanced at Warrick. "He's on his way."  
  
Warrick only shook his head. He was dreading this confrontation with Grissom. Luckily the doctor walked up to them. "Sara is in her room now, if you would like to go see her." He told them.  
  
"Thanks." Warrick stood up and glanced at Catherine.  
  
She smiled at him. "Go ahead. I'll wait here for Grissom."  
  
"Okay." Warrick followed the doctor to Sara's room. The doctor opened the door and then let them have some privacy. Warrick walked up and glanced at his friend. She had the bed raised causing her to sit up. She gave Warrick a smile.  
  
"Hey." She greeted him.  
  
"Hi, how are you feeling?" He asked and walked over to her and took a seat next to her.  
  
"I want to leave."  
  
"Well, I'm afraid you're stuck here for tonight." He reached over and gently took her hand in his.  
  
She turned away from him for a moment and then looked back. "I don't understand." She whispered.  
  
"Understand what?"  
  
"Why is all this happening? Why is Nick acting like this and why are they keeping me here?"  
  
Warrick sighed. "The doctor told me you were a bit dehydrated and that you were still having problems breathing. I think they're just double-checking to make sure you're fine. As for Nick, I can't answer that for you."  
  
"I know. Does anyone else know about?" She didn't finish the question.  
  
"Catherine does and since you're going to be missing work tonight, Grissom is going to find out."  
  
"What's going to happen to Nick?" She wondered.  
  
"Well, if it was up to me, he'd get his ass kicked." Warrick saw a grin spread across her face. He squeezed her hand. "How about I go and get you something to eat? I'm sure you're hungry."  
  
She was actually. "Thanks."   
  
He got up and leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Anytime." He headed for the door and turned to face her. "I'll be right back." He walked out of the room and went down the hall.  
  
Catherine was trying to figure out the best way to inform Grissom on what happened. There was no way she could sugar coat this, so she decided on telling him straight out. He walked in the hospital to find her waiting for him near the door. "What's going Catherine?"  
  
"Okay, what I'm about to tell you, I was told by Warrick. So if I leave out anything you can ask him." She took a deep breath and told him everything she knew. When she was done, she waited for any kind of response from him. "I'll be back." He told her.  
  
"Wait, where are you going?" She called.  
  
"To see Nick." He answered and left the hospital waiting room.   
  
"This is not good." She stated and decided to go with him. She ran outside and caught up with him at his vehicle. "I'm coming with you." She stated not as a suggestion but as a fact.  
  
Grissom knew it was best not to argue. He would never win against her. "All right, then let's go." They drove straight to Nick's house and pulled in the driveway.   
  
Before they got out, Catherine turned to him. "How are you going to handle this?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm about to find out." He got out of the car and walked straight to Nick's door and knocked very loudly.   
  
Nick opened the door a few minutes later. Grissom took a moment to study the younger man in front of him. His face was pale, and his brown eyes looked lifeless. "Nick, can we talk to you?"  
  
Nick nodded and let them in. "What's going on?" He asked not sure why they were at his apartment.  
  
Catherine remained quiet; she knew if given the chance to speak, she wouldn't hold back telling him exactly what she thought of him.  
  
Grissom glanced around Nick's apartment and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Everything was straight and clean. "Nick, tell me about what happened this morning."  
  
"What do you mean?" Nick asked. He was growing more confused by the moment.  
  
"Have you been drinking?"   
  
"No."  
  
"Okay, I'm just going to come out and say this." Grissom began.  
  
'Uh oh.' Catherine thought to herself. 'Here we go.'  
  
"I heard about the argument between you and Sara and I also know that you hit her."  
  
Nick was about to comment but Grissom wouldn't let him. "I'm not done. What you don't know, is that after you left Sara had a panic attack and was taken to the hospital by Warrick."  
  
Nick's face fell. He had not planned on that happening. "Is she okay?"  
  
"Answer my questions and then I'll answer yours. Why?"  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why did you sleep with another woman in Sara's own bed? Why did slap her?"  
  
Nick took a deep breath. As soon as he got home from Sara's he broke down. He had told the other woman to leave him alone and that it was a mistake that they were together. He stared into Grissom's eyes and saw anger, confusion, as well as hurt. "I didn't mean to hurt her." He told him.  
  
"It's a little late now Nick." Catherine said, her anger seething.   
  
"Look, I had a rough night last night. So I went to clubs and started drinking. That's where I met up with Ashley."  
  
"Ashley is the girl you slept with?" Grissom stated to clarify the story for himself.  
  
"Yes, she's an old friend from college. I was surprised to see her here."  
  
"Not as surprised as Sara." Catherine replied coldly.   
  
"I'm not going to stand here and argue with you Catherine. I know what I did. I slept with Ashley and not only that but I was in Sara's bed when I did that."  
  
"Okay, but why? And why did you have to be such an ass to Sara. You hit her."  
  
"I was drunk last night. I'm so used to going to Sara's I guess in my drunkenness I got confused to where I was. So this morning I woke up and realized where I was."  
  
"Sara found you having sex when she walked in the room. Which tells me you weren't that drunk this morning." Catherine refused to stand there and let Nick lie his way around this.  
  
"Okay, so what? It's not like she hasn't gone behind my back."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Nothing, never mind."  
  
Catherine shook her head. "Nick, listen to me. If you're talking about Sara's friendship with Warrick, that's all it is. They're friends. Sara loves you. Or at least she did, until you ruined everything for her."  
  
"But I saw." Nick's head began to spin.  
  
"You saw what?" Grissom asked joining the conversation once again.  
  
"Last week, when we had that party for Greg, I was looking for Sara. I found her in the back room with Warrick and they looked intimate."  
  
Catherine shook her head. "Nick, you are so dense. Would you like to know why Sara was kissing Warrick on the forehead? I'll tell you. Warrick had received a very depressing phone call. One of his friends from school just found out they had cancer. He was telling Sara about it and she was comforting him."  
  
Nick was shocked. He could have sworn that Sara and Warrick were going behind his back. "Are you serious?"  
  
"Yes, I am. You know for a CSI, you're not that bright sometimes. You should have asked her. Instead you decided to get even with her. She didn't deserve that Nick, and I'm not sure she'll forgive you for it either. In fact, I'm not sure I'll forgive you for it." Catherine gave him one last look and then turned to Grissom. "I'm going to go back to the hospital and visit Sara."  
  
"I'll be right there." Grissom told her. He then looked at Nick. "We'll talk about this later, but right now I think there's someone you should be begging forgiveness for."  
  
Nick shook his head. "Yeah, I'm going."  
  
"Good." Grissom walked out of the room and got in his car. He and Catherine pulled out of the driveway and headed back toward the hospital.  
  
Warrick and Sara were talking when Catherine and Grissom came in. Sara looked up and smiled. "Hey guys."  
  
"Hey Sara. How are you feeling?" Catherine asked and went and gave the other woman a hug.  
  
"Better. I finally got to eat something."  
  
Warrick glanced at Grissom. "How did it go?"  
  
"He gave us his story as to why he did what he did." He looked at Sara. "Nick's coming down to talk to you. I think you should listen to what he has to say."  
  
Sara glanced over at Warrick. He reached over and held her hand. "I'll be right outside, if he tries anything or upsets you further, I'll be right in."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
A knock at the door got their attention. Nick stood in the doorway and stared right at Sara. His face was saddened just seeing her there. "Can I talk to Sara alone please?" He asked.  
  
Grissom and Catherine nodded and walked out of the room. Warrick released Sara's hand and stood up. He stared his friend straight in the eye. "I'm not going to be far. My warning to you, don't hurt her again."  
  
Nick saw fire in Warrick's eyes. "I won't."  
  
Warrick nodded and walked out of the room. Nick made his way slowly to the chair that Warrick had occupied. "Mind if I sit down? He asked.  
  
"No."   
  
"Sara, I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't."  
  
He gave her a confused look. "Don't?"  
  
She turned and faced him. Her eyes were like ice. "Sorry is just a word. Just like the word love. It doesn't mean anything."  
  
"That's not true. I'm deeply sorry. Would you please let me explain?"  
  
She sighed. "I guess you're not going anywhere until you do."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"Then explain to me why you destroyed the best thing ever to happen to me. And then explain to me why I should ever forgive you for it."  
  
"I thought you were cheating on me with Warrick." He began and then told her everything that he had told Catherine and Grissom. Sara sat back in her bed and listened to his story. When he was finished, he looked down at the floor. When he glanced back up, Sara had tears falling down her face.  
  
"Why didn't you ask me about Warrick? Did you think I would lie to you?"  
  
"I didn't know. Honestly Sara, I should have realized you would have never done that to me."  
  
"You're right. I loved you. I loved so much." She was angry with herself for crying over him. She had shed plenty of tears because of the man before her.   
  
"Sara, I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am and how I wished that this never happened."  
  
"What do you think should happen next? You think I should just forgive you and move on. I can't do that Nick. I'm not going to be able to sleep in my bed without being reminded of what happened."  
  
"I understand that. I do, honestly I don't deserve to be forgiven."  
  
"You're right, you don't." She turned her head away from him. "But I do."  
  
"What?" Nick wasn't sure he heard her correctly.   
  
She faced him once more. "I forgive you, but that doesn't mean things are going to go back to where they were. You've lost all my trust."  
  
"I know, and I promise I will make this up to you." Nick reached out and held her hand. "Just tell me how."  
  
"We're going to start over, from scratch. We're friends now. So that means no more coming over everyday after shift and no more spending the night at my house."  
  
Nick knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but he was very grateful Sara was giving him another chance. "Thank you Sara."  
  
"Do you mind leaving? I'm pretty tired." She asked and covered her mouth while she yawned.  
  
"No, I don't mind. Sleep well." He gently kissed her hand and walked toward the door.  
  
"Hey Nick." She called out just before he left.  
  
He turned around and saw a smile on her face. "Yeah?"  
  
"I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
He gave her a smile of his own. "Bye Sara." He gently shut the door and began thinking on how he was going to win her heart back.  
  
~Finished~  
  
Okay, so yes I had to make Nick the nice guy again at the end, but I didn't think they could still date after that. Please let me know what you think. I hope you all enjoyed it and thanks for the wonderful feedback from the first part!!  
  
Missy 


End file.
